To Fix a World
by GrandAyla
Summary: A world of war-torn grief with death abundant. Ninjas fighting and killing each other to satisfy their leaders with an ever-increasing war-economy. This is a broken world until Naruto Uzumaki becomes the Seventh Hokage. But it still kinda sucks. Dan is forced into the body of Hanaki Sora of Takigakure with the intent to change the world. Opens 8 months before Naruto's Chunnin Exam.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! This is Ayla. This project is a little comedy/ action/ …drama? Fic is something for me to work on when I've got writer's block or just don't feel like working on my actual novel. I honestly where this is gunna go, or how it will progress, but we'll see how it progresses! Thanks for reading guys, hope ya'll enjoy!**

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A man sat in his chair, writing in a small book. 'So, today I had my normal classes, ate some lunch with Kellen, and visited my therapist. All in all, a pretty lack-luster day… Although, it sounds like my depression has almost fully alleviated. So, some good news. Oh! I also wrote my ninth letter home. I've been away for a little over three years… I need to visit Ed again, it'd be nice to be home again. It's weird… I didn't live with him for more than four years, but it already feels like having a dad again. Maybe if he was married, I could have a mom again… Maybe I shouldn't think like that. I am twenty one, it's been five years since the folks died. This feels like I'm spewing nothing but exposition… I hope no one reads this. Lord I hope no one does. Anyway, I found an old manga of mine! Naruto! I remember when I used to be obsessed with that show! Anyway, I'll be writing in this dumb thing again tomorrow.

Sincerely,

Dan.

P.S. Do I need to sign off on this thing?'

The man stood up, brushing away his blonde hair to sit in his short pompadour. His green eyes reflected in the condo light, looking slightly dulled. His amazingly average height stretched as far as possible. "Ya know, I feel like getting some Chick-Fil-A." He said, slipping on a royal purple hoodie over his black pants. Finally, he tugged a pair of grey shoes on his feet, grabbing his phone and keys, and walked out the door.

"Wait, wallet, damn it." He said quickly as he stepped inside and grabbed a light purple wallet. "'Kay, time ta go." He told himself, locking his door on the way out.

Being an only child he had a habit of thinking out loud and having conversations with himself, often rambling to himself. "When was it that I started hating Naruto again…? Right, I think it was a couple years after it ended. That show was weird, a series of major highs and crazy lows… … Should I try watching it again?" He asked himself.

A long jingle sounded from the man's pocket, sounding eerily familiar to the victory song from every Final Fantasy. He accepted the call, holding his year old phone to his ear. "Go for the blonde." He answered. "It's Daren, man." The phone replied pleasantly. "Daren, hey buddy, how's it goin'?" Dan asked. "Doin' well, just wondering if you were coming home to the Christmas party at Dad's." He replied. "At Ed's? Yeah! I was planning on it, I'll be heading back to Denver on the twentieth, my last class for the semester ends around ten that day." Dan said happily.

"Great! I'll let Dad know. Oh, and feel free to bring as many girls as possible. I doubt you got a girl, but I can totally steal one from ya." Daren said teasingly. "Sure, buddy, sure. Cuz' they'd _love_ to see your ugly mug." The blonde replied doubtfully. A hearty laugh sounded from the phone. "It's good to hear from ya again Dan. See you soon. Love ya bruda!" The blonde laughed. "Love you too, 'cous." He said. He returned the phone to his pocket after hearing his cousin end the call.

The blonde moved to the crosswalk. It had only just turned to December, so even though it was past seven at night, there was still a fair bit of light shining. He steeped through the walk. There were two cars that already past and a couple walking on the other sidewalk. Not another soul could be seen.

He reached the center of the cross walk when he heard a loud screeching. He immediately rushed to the sidewalk, but the car was too fast. He hung in the air, upside down. The bright red sports car was nearly frozen underneath. He saw the face of a man in a mixture of shocked, afraid, and remorseful.

Dan… almost felt bad for the guy. "I guess if this stops the bastard from doing dumb stuff like this, I guess I can accept that…" He reasoned to himself. The face of a fluorescent pink haired boy appeared in front of him.

"Uhhhhhhh. What, no… WHAT!?" He shouted. The boy didn't hear him. Slowly, almost like ink, a scene opened up around the boy's face. The boy sat in his bed with his hands clasped together in a shape that was vaguely familiar. The boy sighed in exhasperation. "Why won't this work!?" He yelled. He unfolded his hands. The moment skin left skin, the picture faded from in front of Dan.

"Why? How? What? … Okay, no. What. The. Hell!? Why is that my last damned thoughts!? Couldn't it be something cooler!?" He yelled.

Time returned to normal, the man began falling again, the car braked hard enough to overturn, and the blonde finally hit the ground. His last thoughts before he fell into darkness was,

"At least I don't have to take another semester…"

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 **Dan POV**

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I heard a little noise, growing loader and louder. It sounded like someone talking. It was muffled, but it started becoming a bit crisper. "Is my nephew okay?" My uncle's voice asked. Really, Ed? Do I look okay to you? The doctor shared my thoughts, how did I know? It was the parent-like tone in his voice, the one someone makes to a very young child.

"He's fine. Just in a coma. He should wake up. Actually he will wake up. His brain is functioning normally, but it needs an extremely heavy amount of rest. He should be fine to leave the hospital in a couple months, just so we can watch for any regularities at the moment, but he'll be asleep for around six months to a year. Just sign a waiver, and have one of our nurse's visit you once every week to make sure he is cared for, and he should be able to sleep at home. Just make sure you get him to drink, give him food syringes, and keep this catheter in both holes, and he'll be fine." The doctor finished. He sounded less like a parent, and more like a friend towards the end.

"Okay," I thought, "I'm gunna be like this for a while… So what am I gunna do with all this time?" I asked… Though I didn't really expect an answer. Ya know, coma and all that? Don't think anyone else is in my head with me.

"Hi!" A voice called. "Ahhhh!" I shrieked in as manly a voice as I could manage… In other words, like a little girl.

I turned to see the same pink haired boy. He was laughing. And he wasn't stopping. "Okay, yes, funny, funny, funny. Honestly I laughed. No sarcasm, but what'cha need?" I asked, trying to sound friendly. "Well, I see you're gunna be like that for a while, sooooo… Wanna follow me?" He asked.

It's almost cute how innocent he sounded. Though, I won't be fooled that easily.

"There might be some cookies involved." The boy said. I caved. "Alright, lead the way!" I said… 'Wait, what's his name?' I thought. "I'm Dan, by the way." I said, following the kid. "Hey, I'm Hanaki! And before you ask, no, I'm a boy." He said irritably. "I… Actually thought you were." I replied. Hanaki blushed, but didn't say anything else.

I tried not to, but I snickered... And I have no shame in that. The kid looked a bit miffed after that. I almost laughed again.

I followed the mop of pink hair through the black expanse. We walked on nothing, absolutely nothing. I could see the kid perfectly, but everything else was just…pure black, like a never ending abyss. Ten seconds later, a light the size of a person just popped into existence. "I shouldn't really be surprised anymore, should I." I stated.

I think I was a little annoyed. Okay, really annoyed.

I don't like not knowing what's going on, it makes me feel weird. I sighed. "Alright, in we go…" I said, following the kid into the light.

I felt weird before… Now it feels plain bizarre. My body felt smaller and weaker. I really didn't like this. "So… I have a bit of a problem." I heard behind me. I turned to see the boy standing eye-to-eye with me.

I knew I was supposed to be taller, which is, again, really weird. "Alright? What's, uh, what's wrong?" I asked. I was very confused. "Well, before we go much further, would you be willing to help me?" The boy asked meekly.

"Yeah, I don't see why not. I mean, I'm not really goin' anywhere for a while." I replied with a hand on my hip. "Right." He said before laughing nervously. I raised an eyebrow.

"My mind isn't what it should be. I won't live longer than this year." He said somberly. He quickly waved his hands frantically. "Oh, but my body is completely fine. If I stay like this, I'll slip into a coma that will last 'til I die. So, I have a favor to ask." He repeated.

"If I stay in my mind with a second mind to support me, I won't have a problem. I'd actually stay stable." I think I knew where he was going.

 _'Well, if I stay in a kid's head, I won't be too bored. I won't really be able to do anything, but it'd be nice to have something to watch for a whi-.'_

"Can you… Would you… Take over my body for a while?" He asked nervously. _'… … … …Wait, what?'_ "Uh…" I replied. Yeah, try answering that without sounding like an idiot.

"I'm sorry… Take over your body? Are you sure?" I asked. "Yes! I'm sure!" He shouted with a surprising conviction.

I was visibly taken aback. "Sorry. I think everyone has a dream or goal. I refuse to let something like this get in the way of this goal… Will you help me?" He asked with a small voice. I thought for a few seconds.

"What's your goal?" I asked. "My world is… Not great." He said slowly. "I want to change it. That's really it. My world is obsessed with war, so much so that the most wanted job is an over-powered, over-paid soldier." He continued.

"Sounds fun." I replied sarcastically. "But, that isn't a bad goal… I think I can understand it." I paused. "Alright. If you're sure, then I'll do whatever I can!" I said enthusiastically.

Hanaki's eyes were wide. I guess he really wasn't expecting that answer. I probably wouldn't either. He smiled brilliantly. "Thank you, Dan!" He shouted quickly. He rushed me and pounced.

When he hugged me, I noticed something. He had a scar moving from the palm of his right hand to his deltoid… I Now carry the same scar. _'Wait…'_ "Did you already put me in your body?" I asked, pushing him away.

He had the dignity to look sheepish. "hehe… Yeah, kinda, maybe." He replied with a nervous laugh. I sighed. "At least I agreed… I guess." I thought aloud. He grinned.

The kind of grin that makes you really wanna punch something, specifically, that face.

He hugged me again. This time, I returned it. When he released me, he looked genuinely happy.

"Alright, so before you wake up, there are some things you should know." He stated. "I'll be asleep for around a month, but our memories with be shared. In other words, my memories are yours, and your memories are mine." He continued. I nodded. He gave a bright smile.

"Great! Now I'm sure that I'm forgetting something, but I'm sure you'll remember. You should be waking up soon, so good luck, see you soon, and… Thank you again." He finished gratefully. I lightly punched his shoulder in comradery. "Yeah, yeah. I'm glad to help. Now, go get some rest, ya don't look too great." I teased. He chuckled and nodded. "Right, thanks. See ya!" He shouted.

The black void took hold fully. I couldn't see anything, but I could feel fabric against my skin. I could also hear a faint buzzing. My peaceful void was shattered by a load ringing noise.

I jumped out of my laying position. I swear to all that it didn't scare me, nope! Not one bit! I looked around a small room and noticed the annoying prick that woke me up.

A damned alarm clock.

My eye twitched in utter annoyance. I thought about wrecking it, but realized I might need it in the morning… Unfortunate.

I turned off the bright pink alarm and got out of the pink bed.

 _'Please tell me the kid doesn't dye his hair.'_ "I thought. I then remembered. A classmate decided that Hanaki, I mean I, needed more pink in my life.

Thankfully, the rest of the room was normal. Brown walls, older wood flooring, a surprisingly normal clock, and a low table. "At least the pink isn't overwhelming." I conversed to myself. I changed from my brown pajama's and slipped on a pair of black shorts and a purple tank top.

The sleeveless shirt surprised me. I love purple, but I really didn't think Hanaki would be the kind of guy to be into it.

Yay for happy surprises.

I found a pair of ugly blue sandles, the only shoes there, and put them on. They looked unsettlingly familiar.

Then, I remembered. My given name is Hanaki, my family name is Sora. I am currently eleven, no, twelve years old and about to graduate from the academy. I am an orphan that lives in an apartment by myself in…

Takigakure. There were only two words that came to mind. "Damnit, Really?!" I really hated Naruto… But now, I can change this war focused world. But I'll have to start with becoming a ninja. "Wonderful."

I wonder if I can get the Akatsuki to sign an autograph.

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 **Thank you for reading this so far. Now you know that this is an insert fic. Just not a self-insert. My name isn't Dan.**

 **Anyway, I actually do like the Naruto series for the most part, there are some things that I don't like, but I think everyone can say that about anything. And yes, I have major plans for the akatsuki.**

 **This will be a comedy-centric fic with action, romance, and slight drama.**

 **I will save quite a few characters sentenced to death by Kishimoto-sensei, however, I like the story too much to destroy it.**

 **Please send me any questions you have. I hope that ya'll review this.**

 **Reviews are my life-blood!**


	2. Chapter 2 The Beggining to Our Story

**Hello! Thank you for reading the next chapter of my first comedy fic… Well, first fic in general, really. And would you rather I use the English or Japanese version of Jutsu?**

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To Fix a World

Chapter 2

The Beginning to Our Story

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"I don't know if I should be excited, or annoyed. For one thing, I'm in Naruto! For another, I'm in Naruto…

Also, why do I (er, we?) have pink hair!?" I yelled. Thankfully, the room had a mirror that I could actually focus on what I look like.

About four foot ten (58.5 inches), light blue eyes, light sun-stained skin, and a twisting scar spiraling around the right arm.

"Not bad for an eleven… no wait, twelve year old. My birthday was a month ago. And I'm graduating… when?" I guess the originator of this body doesn't have too great a memory.

I peaked at the clock on the wall. "Great… I'm late for class. _Wonderful._ " I said.

I sluggishly grabbed my kunai, senbon, and notebook. Never know what needs to be remembered. "Okay, what food do we have?" The kid lived, sorry, I live in an apartment funded by Taki's leader.

Too many orphans to keep in an orphanage I'm assuming. The perks of attending the ninja academy. This is a world filled with little else but war, after all. "Alright, our choices today are ramen, oats, eggs, and a bit of beef... Let's do oats." I checked the mirror again. "Now, what to do with my hair."

My new hair hung past my eyebrows and would have stopped above the nape of my back, however, it stuck out as a small mass of spikes. It looked like a tame cow-lick. It… actually didn't look too bad. "Definitely getting a haircut, but it fits Naruto, I guess."

Before leaving the apartment, I swept the hair in my face to the side, letting it hang to the side of my left eye. "Right, hair, gear, shoes… oh, food." I'm not a morning person. I tend to be a bit forgetful around this time of day.

I grabbed a pack of oats and a slice of bread before headed out the door.

Taki, an, almost, peaceful village.

One thing that can be said is how beautiful the place actually is. The village is, essentially, made of two living areas, each filled with homes, apartments, craftsmen quarters, and shops. The entrance was a city built vertically on a cliff-side around a multitude of waterfalls, a large waterfall in the center.

Behind the largest body of falling water was the entrance to the second, larger portion of the village. The homes and building were built directly under a giant tree. Not just giant, but absolutely _massive._ The largest building was a _speck_ compared to the tree.

I live in the outer village, the academy is in the inner village. "Thank God I can ninja run." I sprinted out the door, jumping from wooden bridge to wooden bridge, reaching the main waterfall in a couple minutes.

I splashed through. Above was a canopy of trees whose leaves covered the sky like a ceiling, sealing away the giant tree.

Now to cross the big ass, too-smooth-for-its-own-good, stone bridge and reach the middle of the "second village."

For ease of use, we'll call the two parts "the outer and inner village." "I guess the kid didn't really notice, but every building, and I mean _every building,_ is made of wood. I seriously doubt that even Konoha has this much wood."

I passed a few people as I jumped from roof to roof. It's strange recognizing people you've never seen before.

The entire inner village was covered in a teal-ish light. The mixture of blue sky and green leaves made an ethereal sight. The only problem with Taki was how many people lived here.

The population to space ratio isn't nearly as bad as something like China, but there's a reason why we have two different villages. I landed directly in front of the academy. The building was made of pure wood and paper. It looked like a formal building.

"I doubt I'll ever get used to this stuff." I hopped to the third floor and opened a window as slowly as possible _'Please don't hear me.'_ I begged. I slipped into a seat in the back. The room looked like a college lecture hall, just a lot smaller.

"Hanaki, glad you could join us." The teacher said. The students chuckled or giggled at my expense. "Thank you! I'm glad I was missed!" I said happily. The teacher seemed irritated, but chuckled a bit anyway. The other students either stared at me blankly, or appeared to fully enjoy the joke. One student seemed too tired to show any emotion either way. "You know that'll just piss him off, right, Hanaki!" A deep green haired student beside him said between laughs.

This student's name is Suzume Mizutori. She's a bit of a tom boy. She has short hair, just reaching the top of her shoulders that spiked the full way down. She also had surprisingly dark skin for her hair and bright purple eyes. I love her eyes. I just love purple. Her skin is a light shade of hazelnut.

She's also decently short. Never tell her that, _ever._ Her assets are also on the smaller side. From Hanaki's memories, she owns a truly beautiful combat dress, but she only wears shorts.

Her current pair was dark blue and only just reached her knees. She also has a light blue sleeveless shirt and black ninja sandals. The two never talked in the past, but she seems nice. _'Looks like Hanaki's getting a new friend if I have anything to say about it.'_

The teacher… Mabui-Sensei? I think… Yeah, Mabui. He is a man of incredibly normal height. He was also curiously feminine looking.

I remember the kid commenting that Mabui was a girl, the pink haired brat had a welt on his head for a week after that.

The man has long hair, light brown in a pony-tail that nearly reaches his lower back. He also has an amazingly pretty face, like oh-my-wow pretty. He has porcelain, perfect skin and blue, pupil-less eyes. His voice really doesn't help him, either. That voice is so light and beautiful that it almost hurts. He only really wears one outfit, a slightly modified takigakure chunnin uniform with a long light blue shawl tied around her, I mean his, waist. Said cloth covered his right leg.

The Taki uniform is interesting. I don't think anything from Taki is really seen all too much in 'Naruto.' The uniform consists of light blue pants and a long-sleeved shirt. The shoes are excruciatingly normal with blue shinobi sandals and bandage wraps around the ankles. Finally was the headband and flak jacket. Said flak jacket was teal with straps over the shoulders and metal shoulder guards connected to the straps. Mabui left the shoulder guards out.

There are around twenty students in the class, I probably won't see eleven of these guys ever again.

"Funny, Hanaki. For being late, show us your henge." Mabui-sensei said coolly. "Uh… Yes, sir!" I said. I stood from my seat and joined Mabui at the front. "Alright, henge into me, perfectly." He said, staring intently.

I had to search the kid's memories for a moment. With a shout of "Henge," I transformed into Mabui with a puff of smoke.

He looked quite irritated. Why?

Well, I couldn't stop myself from adding a mustache and evil goatee. He did chuckle after yelling at me though, so I count it as a win.

"Okay, fine, go back to your seat." He said, slapping my back, forcing the transformation to end. "Yes sir!" I replied, faux saluting the man and scampering back to my seat before the man could hit me again.

Suzume had a lot of fun with my show, it seemed. She laughed with no shame, whatsoever. When I sat, the girl put her fist in my direction. I returned her fist-bump.

"You _have_ to do that again, Naki!" She said between guffaws. "So, I'm Naki, huh?" I asked, smiling. "Yep! You're Naki!"

I punched her arm lightly. "Alright, Suzu, I think I can handle that." I replied. Yep, the start of a beautiful friendship.

She damn well better be on my team.

"Alright guys, we have two months before the graduation exams," Mabui said.

 _'Whaaaaaat!? That soon! Hanaki! Why didn't you remember this!?'_

I am not happy with the kid, if that isn't clear enough. "So, we only have a short amount of time to get ready. For these last months, we'll fine tune some jutsu, polish your taijutsu, and work on your kunai and shuriken training."

Suzume usually has a nice smile. The one she's giving, I would count as sadistic.

The rest of the day went on. We learned the bunshin, I got beat heavily in taijutsu, and I cut myself throwing a kunai. I… have a lot to work on. Suzume and I got along pretty well. Her place is in the outer village, so I travelled with her after class.

"Bunshin suuuucks!" The girl said as I walked with her towards the stone bridge.

"Seriously. I am not doing that again, gave me a headache." I replied disdainfully. She smirked at me. "Aw, does it huwt?" She teased.

"Why, yes! Thank you for your appreciated concern for my wellbeing!" I teased back. She snickered.

Her face looked a little troubled. "I can't stand most of the people in that class. Do you think we'll be on a team? We _will_ be on teams, right?" She asked, sounding slightly more panicked as she talked.

I put my hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure we will be!" I said reassuringly. "At least I hope we'll be on a team." I continued under my breath.

"You really don't like our classmates?" I asked. She shook her head in disgust. "Are you kidding me? They act like prissy kids!" She yelled irritably. I have no shame in saying that I laughed almost maniacally at that.

It's true.

Most of the students in our class are from high ranked civilian clans. I can count nine, including myself, that don't act like the world is their silver spoon. I can also count nine from our class that will become shinobi.

"Don't worry, I doubt any of those douchebags will become shinobi anyway." I said. She cackled, full on _cackled!_

We passed the waterfall in around ten minutes. We didn't ninja run.

"Where do you live?" Suzume asked. "I'm at the top, about a three minute ninja run from the bottom." I replied. "Cool, I'm here at ground floor, actually just a minute walk from here."

"Alright, want me to take you all the way there?" I asked. Gotta be polite. I legitimately like this girl. She lightly slugged my shoulder. "Nah, I'm good. See ya tomorrow!" She said excitedly. I extended my fist, she bumped it with her own. "See ya, Suzu." I replied. She ran off, waving back to me.

Once she disappeared into the small crowd, I started jumping upwards. The entire outer village, like I said before, is built along a cliff beside a multitude of waterfalls.

The outer village is made of wood, mostly, with buildings and shops built all along the cliff with covered and uncovered wooden bridges, staircases, and ladders connecting everything.

I jumped from a house connected to the ground to a bridge above it to a staircase, bridge, shop, house, staircase, bride, all the way to the second to top layer. This is where my apartment lies.

I walked about two minutes to reach my home. It is a nice place. Just enough windows to let in a steady and comfortable amount of natural light. A light blue paintjob, with dark aqua rims. The doors, however, are a dark brown. I live on the fourth out of six floors

I unlocked the door and unloaded my gear. "Today is a good day to stay home." The rest of the day, I spent reading a few scrolls provided by the academy at the beginning of the year. These scrolls contained a few academy jutsus and taijutsu.

"I should find out when in the Naruto timeline I'm in. I also need to figure out what I should focus on in my ninja career. Oh, and figure out my elemental affinity. Among all the other stuff I need to do."

I sat thinking before getting up to change into some pajamas. "I need to get my chakra control and chakra capacity a lot higher. But, I still have two months before I get my team. I have time to figure this stuff out. I should also search our memories for how the kid learned the weird ass jutsu that brought me here."

I jumped into bed. "For now… I'm just gunna get my sleep." This is something I really need. Hopefully the world of dreams will give me some answers. Or some other mushy shite that's in every story.

"I wonder if the Akatsuki can even write autographs."

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 **Thank you for reading Chapter two. If anyone wants to give me any form of critique, I will gladly read and accept these. If you give me something to improve my writing, then I will do my best to work on it and make it better. And if you have any suggestions for the story, I will take those into consideration as well.**

 **Thank you again!**

 **Reviews are my life-blood**


	3. Chapter 3 Return of the Pink Haired Punk

**Hello again! This chapter contains a one month time skip, so we'll be seeing more of the original Hanaki again! Thank you to everyone who's read this story so far, it really means a lot! Without further ado, let's get back to the story!**

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To Fix a World

Chapter 3

Return of the Pink Haired Punk

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I've been here for about a week now. Suzume and I are surprisingly close. She invited me to her place today during class. I also just found out that academy students in their last year are allowed to buy items from a small amount of shinobi shops. I'm gunna be their new best friend for yeeeeeaaars to come.

One thing I realized in class is that the quiet broody guy in the class, I think every class has a Sasuke character in it, is actually pretty damn cool. Suzume and I sat in our normal spot, except Mr. Broody was sitting next to us today. Normally, he has his head down on his desk and never really says anything. He's good in taijutsu and target practice, but he sucks at henge and bunshin. Whilewe were sitting there, I realized that I didn't know Broody's name. When I asked him, I finally payed attention to what he looks like.

The boy was our age, but he was pale, like, really pale. He also had deep, dark bags under his violet eyes. He also seemed to be on the shorter side, but still taller than Suzume. I gained a black eye from the aggressive girl when I mentioned this fact. I heard the boy laugh heartily as I was laying on the ground. It was a pleasant sound. It was at that moment that I realized that I wanted him as a friend alongside Suzume. "I'm Kenichi Utataka, It's good to meet you too." The boy said with a tired voice.

Suzu shook his hand. When I managed to stand, I bumped fists with him. "I'm Hanaki Sora, this is my friend, Suzume Mizutori." The boy smiled exhaustedly. "Are you feeling okay?" I asked. "Yeah, I have a chronic illness. I'm healthy enough, but it's a real annoyance." He said reassuringly. Suzu and I nodded. The girl pat his shoulder while I pat his back. It was a bit awkward seeing as Suzu was next to him, and I was next to her.

The boy wore a light yellow short-sleeved shirt and black pants with black shinobi sandals and a dark grey combat side skirt. The skirt wrapped from his left hip, around his back, and to his right hip. The skirt hung to the middle of his calf. _'I might steal that skirt idea for myself.'_ I thought. He also had light brown hair.

Today, Suzu and I made a new friend. I also realized today, that Suzume is smart, like _Shkamaru_ smart. She's at the top of our class in academics. The three of us started sitting together through the next week. Nothing special happened at all, except that the three of us started training together. We found an abandoned area in the inner village behind one of the massive roots of the giant tree. The ground was soft and grassy with good grip, water just next to us, and excellent shade, even with the natural canopy.

During that week, Suzu gave Kenichi his nickname. I was sitting on the side, watching Suzu and Kenichi training their taijutsu. They were blocking each other's hits perfectly. Until Suzu missed one. Kenichi fainted with a punch, and used the momentum from the thrown hit to swing his leg out and hit the girl directly in the side. She rolled and bounced from the hit. "Damn, Ken, that hurt. Where'd ya learn that?" Suzu asked from her place on the ground, nursing her side. "Ken, huh?" The boy asked amusedly. "Yep! Ken, now answer the question." The girl replied. The boy laughed. "Alright, I practice at home a lot. That was just something I thought up after missing a punch." He said. We found, during this week, that Ken really liked laughing.

He's a very cheerful boy. Any chance he gets to laugh or smile, he'll take it. Two more weeks passed. During that time, the three of us would take time after class to train in our spot, and walk home together. Suzu lives on the bottom floor of the outer village, Ken lives in the middle, and I live at the top. It worked out quite well.

Today, Suzu decided to meet me outside my apartment. We didn't have class today, so we were gunna meet at our training area. "Hey, Naki! Wake up!" The girl shouted at my door as she banged on it. I am not a morning person, and this is what I'd call a "Rude Awakening." I got out of bed and walked to the door, groggy as can be. I opened the door to see a self-satisfied Suzu, smiling as though she just won something. "Hey, Suzu. Good morning." I greeted, giving her as much of a smile as I could. It looked like a half-hearted smile, coupled with barely opened eyes.

"Good morning! Seeing as I'm such a good friend, I decided to make sure you woke up on time!" She said happily. I could hear a mischievous lilt in her voice. "Thank you for your wake up, I feel loved…" I teased dryly. She laughed lightly and slapped my arm. "Well, sure! You ready to go!?" She asked excitedly, dragging me out of my apartment. "Wait, wait! At least let me get changed!" I yelled. She looked back and pretended to think. "Hmmmm. Nah, I think you're fine." She said happily. "It's too early for this." I said under my breath. I'll be honest. I want to be an agent of chaos, I'm just waiting for the right moment, but this is too much for so early in the morning. I slipped my hand out of her grasp.

"I'm glad you agree, Suzu. I really _do_ need to get changed, thank you for PATIENTLY waiting." I replied, walking back through the door. She was confused. The look on her face was just great. I closed my door behind me and heard her scoff lightly. I couldn't stop a satisfied smile from coming to my face.

After I changed into my shorts and sleeveless shirt, and grabbed all my gear, I fixed my hair, grabbed my key, and walked back out the door. I found Suzu sitting to the side of my door, looking at the clouds. She jumped up when she noticed me. "Finally ready Naki?" She asked with her arms crossed. "Yep! All ready!" I replied with energy. She smirked and grabbed my arm. "Good, then let's go!" She shouted, pointing forwards and dragging me away.

She let go eventually and we started walking towards the bottom. We weren't in a hurry since Ken wouldn't be there for another thirty minutes. Suzu woke me up way too early. We made small talk as we walked. We talked about our peers, like which ones we thought would make it in the ninja world and which wouldn't. We talked about our training and what we thought we needed to work on. We made it to the middle layer when were the most invested in our conversation. It was around this time that most people start coming out of their homes, getting shopping done and such.

We were so into our conversation that we didn't notice some worker moving stacked boxes that covered his face. He rammed directly into us. I fell face-first on the side of a building. The man tried to apologize when I stood. It was then that I heard Suzu scream. On the bridge we walked on, a piece of the railing was broken and missing. I raced and looked down. Suzu was falling towards the bottom floor. I grabbed the bottom of the bridge and flung myself down with as much force as my chakra infused arms could push me. I reached her in less than a second, three-fourths of the way down. I landed with a crash on the stone floor of the bottom layer.

I set her down and looked her over to see if she had any injuries. She seemed speechless. Eventually she said something. "I-I'm fine… Th-Th-Thank you, Naki." She stammered. She held her chest as she tried to keep breathing. "I'm glad. I can't imagine what I'd do without you." I said genuinely. She looked down with the biggest smile I've ever seen her make.

The landing I made hurt, but my adrenaline wouldn't let me feel it. The adrenaline ran out quickly. My foot started hurting, badly. The pain just kept increasing. Once I felt that Suzu was completely safe and uninjured, I looked down. That made the pain increase ten-fold. My left foot was fine, but I'd have shin splints there later. But my right foot was the problem. I twisted my ankle almost ninety degrees. I looked at Suzu calmly and allowed her to slow her breathing. I think she realized that I was staring at her when she started blushing. Her eyes were shining when she looked at me. She gave me a small, but genuine, smile.

I returned the smile. "I'm glad you're safe." I said softly. Her blush deepened slightly. Then I asked her a question that was on my mind since I looked down. "When you're better, do you think you could get me to a nurse or a hospital?" I asked. She looked confused until she looked at my feet. Her red cheeks turned blue. "Holy! Yeah!" She shouted. She turned around and crouched. "Get on!" She yelled. I clambered onto her back and wrapped my arm around her neck. She held my legs gingerly. "Is this okay?" She asked softly when she stood up. "Yeah, it doesn't hurt my foot too much. Thank you." I replied. She blushed again.

There're two close hospitals. One is on the middle layer of the outer village, and one after the bridge of the inner village. Suzu chose the one in the outer village. She thought it would be closer. That and the waterfall might irritate my foot. We let Ken know as his house is on the way to the hospital. We decided not to train today. I am completely fine with this. As she walked, I could hear small mumbles coming from somewhere. It wasn't Suzu, her mouth was closed. The few times she tried to talk, nothing came out.

When we got to the hospital, the nurse that would be taking care of me asked if there was any family that I wanted with me. "I don't have any family." I replied. Suzu was wide eyed. It seems that I forgot to tell her that. She was silent for quite a while. "I'm sorry to hear that. I'll get the doctor." The nurse said as she stood me up. We started walking, limping in my case, towards the door that would take us to the patient observation rooms. "I'll go with him." I heard from behind me. The nurse and I turned to see Suzu standing determinedly. "I'm not sure that we allow anyone that is not in the family to be in the same area as the patient." The nurse said apologetically. The green haired girl looked at the nurse with spite. "I don't care. He's my friend, he saved my ass, and he's like that because of me. I'm. Staying. With. Him." She said. "Besides, do you want a rowdy guest in your halls? Because I can think of quite a few things that you really don't want being found in strange places. Maybe a catheter finds its way into the doctor's lounge water tank. Or a rectal thermometer replacing the cook's thermometer?" She said mischievously.

All the color in the nurse's face drained. "Alright, will you both follow me?" She asked, as though the green haired girl belonged with them. Suzu walked to my side and, ever so lightly, punched my arm. I laughed a shook my head. That only caused her to look proud of herself.

I got looked at by a doctor and was healed with a leg splint and a healing from an iryo-nin. I have to stay off my leg for two days, and should be fine after that. They gave me a crutch to help me. Suzu and I decided to get some lunch somewhere, on the way, we picked up Ken. We found a small noodle shop between the bottom floor and the middle layer. It was shaded by the floors above and gave a great view of the great lake separating Taki from the other villages.

"So… How'd that happen?" Ken asked, pointing to my leg. I gave him a teasing look. "I stepped on a crack." I said dryly. "He saved my ass." Suzu said seriously. Ken looked surprised until he stretched his fist. I bumped his fist with mine, smiling at each other. Suzu joined in. "We need to make sure that we're on a team." Suzu replied to our questioning looks. "Definitely." Ken replied. "No doubt." I said. I opened my hand and placed it under theirs. They took a moment before ken placed his palm over mine. Suzu slammed her hand on ours excitedly.

"No matter what, this bond of ours shall not break. Whether we work together on the same team, or if we work separately, we will stay together. May this bond see the end of time. We. Will. Be. Together. Let's work hard to be on a team together. This bond shall last!" I spoke on all our behalf's. The three of us shared a look. At Ken and Suzu's nods, we slammed our hands down and threw them in the air. "Hell yes!" The girl shouted. Ken smiled gleefully. "Thanks, Naki." The boy said. I nodded. "Now, we have no excuse. Even if we're separated, we'll still be together." I told them. "That being said, let's do our best to be on the same team." I continued. The two gave me a dry look before smiling and nodding.

A cute waitress came around with our orders. I have no shame in saying that I was checking her out. I don't think Suzu liked that. She punched me in the shoulder. Not enough to send me to the ground, but enough to give me one hell of a bruise. I gave her an apologetic smile. She nodded. She gave me a sadistic smile… I've suddenly become quite scared of my future. I wonder why. I pat her shoulder softly. "I know that I deserve it, but when it happens, please don't make it permanent." I said pleadingly. She seemed to be feeling sympathetic. "Don't worry, I like you too much to break you all that much." She replied. I sighed gratefully. "Congrats, Naki! Now you only have to worry about undying embarrassment instead of mortal wounds!" Ken teased. I slugged his shoulder, smiling brightly. The three of us laughed.

I got cheddar yakisoba, Ken ate some dango and chicken yakisoba, and Suzu had pork ramen. The three of us ate in silence, just enjoying each other's company. We finished our food. "I wanna check out the library before I head home, what do you guys wanna do?" I asked, laying my money on the table. "I can go with you!" Suzu said, raising her hand. "I'm gunna head back to the training spot." Ken said. "Alright, we'll see ya later, then." I said, bumping fists with the brown haired boy. Suzu clapped hands with Ken.

The two left their pay on the table. "See you guys tomorrow!" Ken called as he left for the bottom floor. We waved to him as he disappeared into the crowd. Suzu and I began walking towards the middle layer. "Are you looking for a book?" Suzu asked as we reached a stairway. "Not really, just looking for a bit of news. I might pick up a book while I'm there, though." I told her. Back in the day, I was an avid reader. It would be a shame if I couldn't keep old hobbies. I honestly don't know why I didn't visit the library earlier.

Suzu walked beside me while I hobbled forward. Takigakure's outer village is made of multiple layers, some interweave between them. There's no way to individually count any certain layer. Except for three specific layers. The top layer contains the top third of all layers. In the second to top layer is where my apartment lays. This is also where the library and leader's house stands. The middle layer contains the middle third of all layers. The hospital sits here. The bottom layer contains the bottom third of all layers. This is where the stone bridge connects to the bottom floor. Many shops and restaurants are scattered throughout all the layers. However, the middle layers contain the most shops and restaurants.

The library itself is one of the largest in the Elemental Nations. Like every other building, it's made of wood and paper. The building has five entrances. This may seem like too many, however, the library is built directly on the side of the cliff. It's wide, long, and tall. It spans half of the top layer.

Several Takigakure symbols cover the building. It's mostly rectangular, except for the roof. There are five roofs in a traditional oriental style, colored dark blue. The building itself is painted Taki-teal. Yes, Taki has its own brand of teal. Several bridges on the bottom that pass the building carry doors inside. Other entrances on the floors above has bridges that specifically exist to connect bridges and the doors.

The inside has five floors, all built of wood, with stairs connecting each floor. The first and second are connected by v-style double stairs, the second and third by two staicases on the east and west sides, the third and fourth by a sing stairway in the center, the fourth and fifth by three staircases with one in the center, left, and right sides. Finally, the fifth floor and roof is connected by four sets of ladders. Every floor has several rooms. Some are for reading, others are ninja lounges. These lounges are used by special, and full jounin, and a rare few chunnin.

"I love this place." Suzu said as she walked into the first floor with me. Many members of the staff waved to the girl, some calling out to her. "Really... I would have never guessed." I said teasingly. She stuck her tongue out at me. I walked to one of the staff that waved to Suzu. The man was tall with black hair and black eyes. He reminds me of a happy Uchiha. "Hi, I was looking a current history book." I told the man. "Ah, those will be in section B on the third floor." The Uchiha-esque man replied. "Great, Thank you!" I responded. "Good to see you again Hitachi." Suzu said. Wait… what!? Of course the damned Uchiha looking bastard has a name like that. _'I think I had a mini heart attack.'_ I thought. He was looking at me.

Why is he looking at me? Oh, right. I was staring at him like a damned idiot. Great… "Sorry, you reminded me of someone. Have a good one!" I said, while trying to hobble away as quickly as possible. **'That was weird.'**

' _The hell was that? No, seriously. THE HELL WAS THAT!?'_ I waited a few moments, but I never heard anything else. "I would say I'm going crazy, but I'm a body snatcher from a different dimension. I've already _gone_ insane." I said bitterly. I received a few strange looks. ' _Not that I blame them.'_ **'Yeah, you're definitely insane.'** I stopped. I starred for miles ahead, but saw nothing. "Nope, I'm not dealing with this." I said quickly. I continued towards the third floor. _'Please tell me that's you, Hanaki.'_ I thought, hoping to commune with the voice. Nothing came from it. "Okay, whatever."

I found the book. I found exactly what I need. Now to check it out. I found Suzu on the first floor, sitting at a table, reading a suspiciously orange book. _'Please don't be what I think it is.'_ I sat in a chair in front of her, she never noticed. _'A big red circle with a slash in it… Yep… It's friggin Icha Icha. Damnit.'_ _'And she's blushing… Lovely.'_ I thought dryly. "I didn't realize they kept smut on the first floor." I said.

She jumped, tried throwing the book on the table, and fell backwards off the chair. _'Today's a good day!'_ I thought, giving Suzu a beaming smile. She inched her way back into a chair. "Hey, Naki… Can I say that it's not what it looks like?" She asked. "That depends, what does it look like?" I returned. "Uh, like I'm reading a book?" She replied, smiling guiltily. I returned her smile knowingly. "Yep! Like you're reading a _very_ special book." I said, bemusedly. She chuckled nervously, grabbing her smut and standing.

"Did you, uh, find what you were looking for?" She asked, desperately trying to change the subject. "Yep!" I replied, holding up the large book. I don't want to torment her too much.

It seems that Suzu knows the short woman currently checking out our books. She gave the green haired girl an interested look. She quickly blushed, realizing what the book is. Her stare intensified and became quite stern. Suzu shrunk under the older woman's gaze. I beamed, almost maniacally. The woman sighed and checked the books out. Suzu chuckled nervously and waved to the woman as we both left.

"Do you want any help getting home?" Suzu asked genuinely. "I'll be all right. Will you be okay?" I responded. She shook her head. "Nah, I'm fine!" She replied, smiling brightly. I nodded. "Alright, just want to make sure you don't pass out from your smut." I said teasingly. She nodded before she realized what I said. "Hey!" She yelled irritably. She slugged my shoulder. I laughed. She eventually joined me. "I'll see ya tomorrow, Suzu." I said. "All right, later! Stay safe." The girl replied. I smiled at her and hobbled off.

I felt a pair of eyes on me. I turned around to see Suzu has only now started to leave, but I still felt… something. I hummed thoughtfully before returning on my way.

I moved at a much slower pace than normal. It honestly pissed me off a little. Thankfully, I finally reached my apartment. I tucked the book under my arm and fumbled the keys for a moment. I could feel lingering effects of that feeling from earlier. I unlocked the door and stumbled inside. I set my crutch against the bed. Thankfully, I can move around a bit easier in my place. I set the book on my bed and left for my kitchen to cook some dinner.

After a few moments, my dinner was ready. I set a cup of instant ramen on a table and changed into my pajamas. I should really look to see what's around my apartment outside my bedroom. The flooring is, thankfully, a brown and fluffy carpet. The kitchenette had wood-flooring and brown cabinets and drawers. A light tan countertop sat over-top of that. A grey refrigerator, a black oven and stove, and a white sink built into the counter-top.

A small, full wooden table sat in the living room a few feet away from the entrance with four wooden chairs. A head of the table laid a long, deep brown, and incredibly comfortable couch. In front of that stands a decent television with a few movies lying beside it.

To the right of the television sat two different doors a few feet apart. The one to the left led to my bedroom, to the right was the full bathroom. The apartment was deceptively large, giving ample walking space in every room, even with all the belongings strewn about.

Satisfied, I grabbed some chopsticks and sat at the table. I grabbed the remote and turned the television to a comedy channel.

The ramen felt warm and nice sliding down my throat. I missed the simplicity of instant ramen. It reminds me of home. Or at least my college dorm. I was a broke university student. Instant ramen, mac n' cheese, cheap quesadilla's, top-ramen, and maru-chan were the names of my best friends. "It's actually kind of sad… I wonder how Ed, Daren, and the others are." I laughed bitterly. "I might just miss the family Christmas party at Ed's." I was starting to get a bit depressed. I decided to stop thinking and finish eating.

Later that night, I retreated to my room and sat on my bed. "Okay. Let's start." I pickedup the book and began skimming through the book. I smiled. I found the pages I need. I read through it thoroughly.

"Orochimaru is a missing-nin, Jiraya doesn't have any students, Sarutobi is still Hokage, and, the Yandaime Hokage has been dead… For. Twelve. Years." I said aloud. "I'm in the canon span of Naruto." I couldn't stop myself from grinning like an idiot. "I know what's gunna happen. I have a chance to change things… I can fix this Lord forsaken world…" My grin doubled two-fold. I giggled. I chuckled. I snickered. I guffawed. I coughed. I laughed. I was hysterical. "Yep, I've definitely gone insane.

I set the book down, laid back, and rested myself. I fell asleep quickly after all the pain in my ankle began wearing on my body.

Darkness, a never ending expanse of blackness began shifting colors. A flash of pink shined through. Bright blue spheres pierced out below the pink. Slowly, agonizingly slowly, color melted in around the spheres and below the shrinking mess of pink. The silhouette of a person came into focus… Thankfully, they were clothed. In the exact clothes I'm wearing right now. I sighed. _'Really? That damn well better be Hanaki.'_ **'Wake up, bastard!'** The kid yelled merrily.

I woke up… From that bullshi-. **'Language.'** A voice chided humorously. "You do realize that you _just_ called me a bastard, right, Hanaki?" I replied, pulling off my covers and getting out of bed. The voice cackled good-naturedly. **'Fair enough! Good work with Suzu and Ken!'** The kid said. "You know about that?" I asked. **'We share memories, remember?'** He replied. **'I never had many friends… or any, really.'** He continued, depressing slightly. "Well, now we both have some friends, right?" I told him helpfully.

I could tell the boy was smiling, though I couldn't see him. **'Sooooooo… what should we call each other? This is gunna get confusing eventually.'** "You're right. Um… I'm drawing a bit of a blank." We thought for a few minutes in silence until the kid spoke up.

' **How about we use the same logic as the village? I'm Inner and you're Outer?'** I rolled it around in my head for a while. "Sure, why not! We should also think about what we'll do with this setup. Eventually, I'd like to get you in a body again, preferably your own." **'That would be nice.'** Inner replied thoughtfully.

' **More importantly, what're we gunna do with everything else?'** "What do you mean?" I asked. **'Well, we share memories, right? So I also know the entire canon story-line of Naruto. So what are we gunna do about all the big bads? Orochimaru, Obito, Akatsuki, Danzo, Madara… Kaguya?'** Inner asked.

"Well, each of them are old creatures who never allowed themselves to let things rest. We're gunna change things. We're gunna save who we can and make this twisted world a better place. And you know what I think?" **'What?'** "I think I'd say it's about time for those damned quixotic bastards to make their peace."

' **Hell yeah.'** I smirked.

Inner was silent for a few moments.

 **'Do you think the akatsuki hang out on their off hours?'** He asked. I don't think I can respond to that.

* * *

 _ **A/N**_

 _ **Thank you for checking out chapter two! Everyone welcome the original Hanaki back from the dead! Or unconsciousness. Whatever works.**_

 _ **Thank you to everyone who's read this story. I appreciate it more than you might ever know.**_

 _ **If anyone has any questions, please do ask me.**_

 _ **And I have not seen all of Naruto. I skipped most all of the filler episodes, and I skipped over a majority of the Pein arc. I will be reading over it so I can do it justice, but if I miss out on anything important, please do let me know. Even if you don't want to review this story (which I hope you would), you can always PM me.**_

 _ **Thank you again everyone, and I'll see you in the next chapter!**_

 _ **(No more Reviews-Are-Life-Blood, unfortunately…)**_


	4. Chapter 4 Becoming Ninja

_**Thank you to everyone who's read this so far. Thank you as well to those that have favorited this!**_

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 **Chapter 4: Becoming Ninja**

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This morning is fresh, a brand new day, **'And a new chance for chaos!'** … and another voice in my head. _'Hey, Inner, morning.'_ **'Hey, Outer, thanks!'** _'Now, a question. Why the hell didn't you remember when your graduation is?'_ I asked with as much venom as I could muster. **'uhhhh…'** He replied with all the brain power left in his head. _'Really? That's a wonderful reason'_ I continued, dripping sarcasm. Inner chuckled nervously.

"All right, we should probably get to class." **'Right!'** "Let's meet up with everyone on the way."

The way down today was pretty uneventful. First was meeting with Ken outside his house. "Hey! Ken!" I called, walking steadily towards him. He had just left his house, and locked the door. "Naki, hey." The sickly boy replied. We walked together, continuing downwards. When we reached the bottom floor, we saw Suzu walk into an open area. "Suzu!" I called to her. She seemed pleasantly surprised. "Naki! Ken!" She called back.

The three of us crossed the waterfall and passed the bridge.

The classroom was filled with students, but missing Mabui. We entered our seats, listening to the chattering and… swooning? "Kyaaaa! Aoi-Kun!" Or, maybe it's screeching. The trio looked to see a few girls drooling at a boy that just entered the room. **'Black hair, pale skin, and indifferent scowling. Welcome, second coming of Sasuke!'** Inner said, cackling. _'Are fan-girls and bastards just… everywhere in Naruto?'_ **'For our sake, I hope to hell not.'** _'Oh, hey, blue eyes. That's different!'_ **'You aren't excited just because of that, right?'** I grinned.

Suzu scowled briefly. "I don't get it, what do they see in that guy?" She asked. "No clue." Ken responded, shaking his head.

The class door slammed open. In walked and irritated Mabui. "All right class, sit down." He said. Like usual, only two or three students listened. He grew just a bit more upset. "Sit down brats!" He yelled. Every student was in their seats in moments.

"Thank you. Now, we are only a month away until graduation." Many of our peers brightened heavily at this. Mabui's eye glinted. "Oh, don't get excited just yet. We'll be covering everything that'll be on the test, with a bit more… enthusiasm." He continued, evilly. Those happy faces dropped, instantly. _'I'm actually a bit impressed. Well done, Mabui!'_ I thought. **'I didn't think anyone could ruin this day. I guess I was wrong'** Inner replied.

Ken and Suzu, for what it's worth, only seemed slightly panicked.

True to Mabui's word, the rest of the day passed by quickly, filled with henge, bunshin, taijutsu, and throwing weapons training. With the training Ken, Suzu, and I have been doing, we were much better with all four. Enough that even Mabui was impressed.

After class, Ken, Suzu and I left for our training area for a few hours before heading home, sweating, bruised, and content.

The rest of the month progressed the same way. A few things interesting did happen within the month. For one, Suzu and I learned that Ken is actually part of a clan. The Utataka clan. He was able to convince his parents to buy some chakra paper for all of us. Unfortunately, they were low quality. It showed ever so lightly, so it wasn't a viable resource to tell what our affinity is. Although, it got me itching to know what my, and their, affinities are.

Suzu was also a little weird for a week or two, but she returned to normal eventually.

We also met the Utataka clan around a week before graduation. Ken lived with his parents in the outer village just because they preferred the view. The full Utataka compound was in the inner village towards the center of it. The compound was eight buildings of similar styles, with three stories each, and with varying sizes. The walls were a Taki-teal, the paper doors were a faint blue, and the ceiling tiles are black. A small waist high white wall separated the compound from the rest of the village. The two center building were the largest and were connected by a covered walkway.

Ken's mother is a kind, caring woman with long black hair that reached her hips. She seemed far healthier than her son, with healthy, tan skin. Her name is Ai. She wore a pale green dress that reached her mid shin, and exposed a complementary dark green tee shirt. She also wore a pair of strapless, green shinobi sandals. She radiated calmness and a happy vibe. I haven't seen her frown once. From what Ken told me, she used to be a high ranking jounin, but decided to retire before her first child was born. It seemed that Ken got his eyes from her.

His father, on the other hand, seemed to be just as sickly as his son. They both carried a form of chronic fatigue. Kensora gave Ken his light brown hair. He gave a feeling of comfort to everyone he was around. A very nice man all in all. His skin was paper white, and carried permanent bags under his eyes, deeper than his son's. Above the bags were a pair of bright green eyes. He only ever managed to make chunin, but he retired around the same time as his wife. His brother is the only reason they could do this. Kensora is the younger brother of the current clan head. Thankfully, both Ai and Kensora kept training, even after they retired. Kenso, as his wife likes to call him, may be at a low-jounin level by now.

Ken's family wanted to visit everyone else that day, so everyone came. Kensora decided to wear a short-sleeved, pale green shirt tucked into dark brown hakama and black combat sandals. The moment we crossed through the opening in the wall surrounding the compound, a taller girl came rushing towards us. "Kenkona!" Ai shouted. She and Ken ran towards the girl and engulfed her in a hug. Kenso chuckled while walking towards them and joined in on the hug.

Another sickly looking man walked out of the main house with a tired smile on his face. The four broke away and looked back to Suzu and I. "Guys! This is my big sister, Kenko!" Ken called to us. "Kenko, this is Suzume Mizutori, and Hanaki Sora." Ken introduced. "Hey, there!" The girl called with a bright smile and tired eyes.

The girl looked to be around sixteen, and tall for her age, standing at 65 inches (five foot five). She has her mother's hair, but her father's skin and fatigue. The bags under her eyes seem to be a bit lighter that her father or brother. That said, they are still quite deep. Her hair was tied into a loose bun at the base of her skull, with two long strands framing her face, as well as short, cute bangs. Her eyes shone violet like her mother and brother with a surprising amount of mischief. She must have been in the middle of changing before running out the door. She wore the standard chuunin uniform sans forehead protector, vest, and shoes.

"Heya! Nice to meet you, I'm Hanaki, and she's Suzume." I said, pointing to the shorter girl. "Yo!" Suzu replied. Kenko waved back. "Hi, there." She said tiredly.

We heard a man chuckle from the house. "Oh! Uncle!" Ken yelled. Kenso nodded amicably towards them man. "Kids, this is my brother and clan head, Kenkobi." The man said. The man looked almost exactly like Kensora. The only difference is his hair and eyes. Instead of his younger brother's bright green, his was a dull yellow with slightly deeper bags. His hair was dark brown in a large bun on the middle back of his head. Instead of the calming effect his brother gives, Kentobi exudes an air of geniality, even with his fatigue. He wore a dark brown kekogi under a tan haori with some form of symbol sewn into the back. Tied over his kekogi was a pair of black hakama.

The symbol was most likely the Utataka clan symbol. It looked like a simplistic taki-teal waterfall with five pale green bubbles floating around it. Kensora had the same insignia at the bottom sides of his hakama. Ken also had it on the bottom of his back skirt.

"Please, come inside." Kentobi said, genially.

The rest of the day was spent interacting with the family. I could feel a bond form with this family. Suzu confided in me later that she felt the same way. At one point Kenko asked about the scar on my arm. It took a while, but I was able to divert attention away from it. That is a can of worms I do _not_ want to open. _'I did kind of throw Ken under the bus to do it though.'_ **'Yeah you did.** _ **'Did you know? Ken has a crush?'**_ **His sister hounded him the rest of the day! That was evil, man. I don't know what this feeling is… But I think it's pride.'** Inner said with false tears.

I also got into fishing! The rods were easy to buy. It was only a couple hundred ryo. I was also able to buy an ice box and a ton of bait and fishing string. I was able to get a few decent sized fish over the last week. There's a nice fishing spot on the bottom floor. I've heard that the best way to get some of the best fish is using a special pole on the top layer… I don't know how that works, but this is a world filled with magic ninja… Comparatively, a hundred foot fishing pole wouldn't surprise me. _'Lord, I hope the pole isn't that long.'_ **'Seriously…'**

Finally, I decided on the weapon I wanted to train in. I can't remember any shinobi of this world using it. **'That means it's either a diamond in the rough, or it's a really shitty idea.'** Inner commented. "Well, you're helpful." I replied teasingly. I could feel Inner sticking his tongue out at me. That was a weird feeling.

After waiting and training for so long, the graduation exam is finally here. Suzu, Ken, and I are sitting in our usual seats, waiting for Mabui to start class. "Good morning, everyone. Welcome to your last days as academy students! Well, for most of you anyway." Mabui said with an evil glint in his eyes. A few students cringed away. He grinned at those specific students.

"Anyhow, after Taijutsu and Bakijutsu, we'll give you some time for lunch, then we'll do your three jutsu." Mabui said. "If anyone has any problems with this, just know. I don't care. Now, let's start." He finished. _'And there goes the evil look again.'_ **'He's really got it down pat.'**

* * *

 **Later**

* * *

After a full day of fighting, throwing, and destroying my chakra system, it finally ended. Around fourteen of us had a forehead protector. _'I'm sure at least two teams are gunna lose those protectors.'_ **'That'll be fun!'** _'Yep!'_ Until I figure out where I wanna wear my protector, I'll just wear it the standard way.

Suzu received a light-blue cloth for her protector. For some reason, she decided to wear it as a belt. Ken had a black cloth and wore it around his neck. I was able to commission a purple cloth… Until it arrives, mine is the standard Taki-teal.

"All right, my almost former students! Good job on passing! Now, we'll give you your team assignment tomorrow. Until then, get some rest." Mabui sent us off amicably.

I grabbed Ken and Suzu's hands. "Please let us be a team, please let us be a team, _please let us. Be. A. Team._ " I chanted. Suzu smirked with a bit of pink on her cheeks. She pated me on the head, then slugged my shoulder. "Butter me up, then beat me, huh?" I said, cringing out of the hit. She grinned. Ken laughed at the two of us. We joined in shortly.

The three of us walked home, chatting and laughing. _'If this is our last day together, I wanna make it worth something.'_ "Do you guys wanna stay at my place for a while?" I asked. The two seemed surprised. "Yeah! Just let me tell my parents." Ken said smiling. "Uh, sure!" Suzu said, cheerfully. The two shared a genuinely excited look with me. I was… surprised. Happily surprised.

On our way, Ken dashed into his house. Ai and Kensora gave their blessing. Soon, we stopped in front of a familiar Taki-teal building. "Well, guys. This is home!" I said gleefully. I grabbed their hands and pulled them along. They allowed themselves to be dragged along. Once we entered, I let them go. "Go ahead and relax, guys. I'm gunna make some food." I stated, moving to the kitchen. Ken moved to the couch, while Suzu joined me in the kitchenette.

"Can I help?" She asked. "Um, yeah, sure!" I replied. She smiled happily. "All right, Naki. What're we making?!" She asked excitedly. I smiled. "Pull on some gloves! We're making fish teriyaki!" I replied eagerly. "With some fresh caught fish. Three of them." I continued.

"So… Gutting fish?" She asked, smirking.

' **Gutting fish.'** Inner said.

"Gutting fish." I said, nodding.

"Cool." Suzu finished.

We stepped outside to do the gutting to keep the smell out of the apartment. _'I'm glad I got that bucket.'_ I thought, taking an unintentional whiff. **'No! Outer! Stop breathing! I'm gunna die from that** _ **putrid**_ **oder!'** Inner wailed pitifully. I smirked. _'Putrid! That's a big word for ya!'_ I called jokingly. **'Yeah, yeah.'** He returned, irritated. I grinned. _'I win!'_ **'Whatever.'** Inner said, amicably.

After gutting the fish, we began cooking them inside. While they cooked, I found some seasonings and relishes to add to it with Suzu's help. While in the middle of the fish's sizzling, we added a bit of lime, some lemon, some cumin, and other herbs to them. Finally, we made some fresh teriyaki and poured it over the three fish the moment we pulled it from the oven.

"All right! Dinner's ready!" I called. "Thanks for the help, Suzu." I continued. She beamed at the praise. Then, she slugged my arm. "Yep!" She replied happily. "Okay, I'm surprised. That smells good." Ken teased, walking into the kitchenette.

"Yeah, thanks Ken…" I drawled. Suzu was much more energetic. She slugged his arm hard enough to leave a bruise for a while.

"Right, forgot. Watch for the right straight. Ow." He continued holding his arm. She smirked triumphantly.

"All right, I wanna eat." I stated with false authority, as I shoved a plate of food into both of their arms. I grabbed the last one and sat at the table. The two sniffed the fish and grinned at each other before joining me at the table.

I dealt some chopsticks between the three of us. "Let's eat!" I said. They nodded and began eating.

* * *

 **Later**

* * *

Suzu and I made some amazing food. Our stomachs were full and contented.

"So, what teams do you think we'll be on?" Ken asked, enervated.

"We'll be on a team together!" Suzu said confidently. "Right?" She continued, hesitantly.

"I hope so… I really hope so." I said. **'Brighten up! Let's party! We gotta make today count!'** Inner called. _'You're right…'_

"Wait here for a minute. I'll be right back." I said as I left the chair. I walked to a linen closet at the end of the hallway to pull out a board and board pieces. On my way to the fridge, I departed the board on the table. Suzu and Ken gave me… Interesting looks. At the fridge, I found the one thing I've wanted to drink since day one. A bottle of Sake.

 _'Finally! I haven't had any booze in MONTHS! I miss my liquor! Now, we're ninjas!'_ I thought excitedly. _'I can legally drink~ I can legally drink~!'_ I sang in my head. **'Oh… My… Lord… Yeeeeeeeesssss!'** Inner yelled.

I grabbed a few sake saucers, before rejoining my friends at the table. They looked a bit perturbed. "Um… We're only thirteen… Well, I'm thirteen at least." Ken said. "Twelve." I stated, dryly. "Thirteen." Suzu taunted. I glared at her. "There's almost no alcohol in this. It would take five bottles to get a two year old buzzed." I drawled. **'Though, we don't condone underage drinking, at all.'** _'Right. This is essentially a virgin drink, or a non-alcoholic drink.'_

"This is only here for the taste. Plus, we're shinobi now. Eventually, this is gunna be our best friend. Might as well get used to the taste now." I continued. My friends shared a glance. And shrugged.

"All right. Let's try it." Ken replied, slightly convinced. "Let's!" Suzu shouted, fully convinced.

I grinned. The rest of the night, we talked, and laughed, and played, and drank. I learned a bit more about my friends. Ken aspires to be, not just a medic, but the best medic. Better than even Tsunade Senju. His family even has a kekkei genkai. Though, we didn't ask what it was. He's obsessed with reading. Absolutely obsessed. Now, I love reading, but he goes faaaar beyond that. He also has a surprisingly passive aggressive sense of humor.

Suzu is, obviously, a tom boy. She's very inquisitive. I said that she was Shikamaru smart earlier. She might be a bit smarter. She aspires to learn as much about the world as possible. An adventuring scholar, I guess. Though, her language is course "By choice," As quoted. Disspite her aspirations, she wants to get strong. Strong enough to be a kage, just so she can turn down the offer. "It'd be friggin' hilarious!" She "explained." Like me, she's also an orphan.

I honestly love these guys. Ken is a closet prankster with dry, or aggressive, humor. Suzu is amazingly compassionate. She fussed over Ken and I whenever we, somehow managed, to hurt ourselves. Though, the moment she found out we were okay, she would tease us relentlessly. Or slug us. I guess if she was the one to hurt us, then it was okay… somehow.

She confided in us that her biggest dream is to start a family. Either a small one, or a giant one. She doesn't want an "Average" family. One that's at least a little crazy, but a comforting and happy one. _'That doesn't sound too bad actually.'_

Ken wants to change his clan. Apparently, some old traditions in the clan are causing some major problems, but the bastard elders are too stuck in the past to change things.

I confided that I want to be a father… I have my own aspirations as well. I want to change this world. But after that, I wanna get married and be a father. Suzu seemed happy about that.

Finally, the clock showed eight o'clock. So I asked a question. "Do you guys… wanna stay over, tonight?"

They looked shocked, but excited. "Yeah! I'd love to!" Suzu shouted. Ken nodded. "I'll let my parents know real fast." He said, as he stood from his chair. "I'll grab a change of clothes from home!" The green haired girl stated, rushing out the door. Ken and I shared an amused glance before he left the apartment as well.

While they were gone, I retrieved a few futons from the linen closet. Moments later, Both Suzu and Ken returned. For the next few hours, we just enjoyed each other's company until we finally decided to go to bed.

I set the three futons in different areas of the living room. _'I haven't had a sleep over since long before my parents died. I kind of miss this.'_ **'This really is… kinda fun!'**

The three of us laid in our futons for a few minutes, just waiting for sleep. "I'm kind of nervous…" Suzu broke the silence with a worried tone. "What's gunna happen tomorrow… I don't want to be split up." She continued, rolling on to her side, staring out of the closed window by the balcony. Ken mumbled in agreement. I thought for a while. _'I really don't want to be split up either.'_ "I'll think of something." I stated. "But… I might need your help." I continued, hesitantly.

Their answer was instantaneous. "Whatever you need, I'll do." Ken drawled.

"You don't need to ask. I've got your back Naki!" Suzu called, moving to look at me confidently.

I could feel a sense of joy welling within my chest. A comradery and familial ache in my stomach. _**'There's no way we're losing these people... No way.'**_ Inner and I conversed simultaneously.

"… Thank you." I probably sounded overcome with a sort of tearful joy.

I could feel their sincere smiles from where I lay. I never had this sort of friendship. In such a short time, I found a genuine bond that felt inseparable.

I was fully overjoyed.

 _'We only have a few hours to make this work, so we'll have to do this carefully, but quickly.'_ **'I'll wake you up at six or seven, so we get as much time as sleep will allow.'** _'Thanks, Inner. Now, what to do?'_ I felt a wave of determination flow through me as Inner and I bounced ideas. It came down to using Ken's pranking skills and Suzu's brains to make this work. I am filled with determination and a sense of comradery and joy.

That feeling stayed until the three of us fell asleep.

* * *

 **The Next Day**

* * *

 **'…up!'** My drowsy head heard a faint cry. **'…ke up!'** And again. _'I wonder what that is.'_ I thought as I rolled over. **'Wake up, dumb ass! It's time to start operation: "Keep Suzu and Ken!"'** Inner yelled excitedly with a try at an authoritative tone.

 _'Really? We're going with_ that _as the name?'_

' **Yes, because it's badass!'** He yelled confidently. **'… And it's the only name I could think of.'** I think he sounded kind of sheepish. **'Or… we could call it operation: Team Rig?'**

"All right. I guess we'll go with that name… I probably couldn't think of anything better, honestly." I thought aloud. "Anyway, time to wake sleeping beauty and the beast." I raised myself from the futon, stretching my body as much as possible.

' **Which one's which?'** Inner asked, teasingly. _'Which do you think?'_ I returned. Inner snickered at that.

I carefully walked into the kitchenette and stepped towards the fridge. The refer box is connected to a freezer. My freezer makes some of the coldest ice-cubes I've ever had, even back home. I could feel inner's excitement.

I filled three glasses with cold water, and placed ice-cubes into two of them. After letting them sit for a while, I meandered over to my sleeping friends. _'This is another thing I missed about sleep overs.'_ I thought as I slowly began tipping the glasses. _'The night full of pranks, and the morning full of agony after a painful wake-up call.'_ I quickly splashed the freezing water over both of them.

Without a shred of hesitation, the two bolted from their futons, squealing and screeching. I received shocked and mutinous glares. All I could do was give them a manic grin. Suzu returned made me falter.

' _Uh oh…'_

She slowly sauntered close to me with a friendly smile, and placed a hand on my shoulder. Her other hand, meanwhile, was cocked back. The only sound I could manage was a very intelegent, "uh," before I was sent flying onto my back with a fist sized bruise on my stomach. Ken smiled mischievously.

Ken burst into laughter. I snickered and began laughing as well. Finally, Suzu joined in. "I deserved that. I definitely did!" I stated through chuckles and giggles.

I quieted myself and took a deep breath. The two saw this and sat down in front of me. "But now, let's start with operation: Team Rig." I grinned fanatically. They shared the look. Excitement bubbled within me.

' **I wonder how the Akatsuki wake each other up.'** And just like that… He ruined the moment. _'… Dunno…'_

* * *

 **Omake**

* * *

 _Somewhere far away, in a slightly distant future (about three years) sits a small, quant place. This place is filled with the loving and happy members of the Akatsuki, the most peaceful creatures on earth._

"I will sacrifice the shitty person that ate my damn cookies! I was saving the fucking things for some sake!" Hidan yelled in "righteous" anger.

 _All right. Maybe not_ peaceful _, but loving?_

"If you touch a single ryo, Hidan… I will kill you." An irate Kakuzu stated menacingly.

"Ha! It wouldn't even work, shitty geezer!"

 _Screw it. I'm the narrator for children's books, not this crap. Get someone else._ A pushy, and now unemployed, narrator stated.

This is the story of a single day in the Akatsuki base.

Kakuzu rarely slept for long, "Time is money," and all that. But today was a rare occasion. The old man was sleeping in. This was the perfect day to get revenge on the man after he stole the last of Hidan's cookies. Not a single person ever claimed that the Akatsuki weren't petty.

Hidan sneaked into the old man's room with a bucket of freezing water, quietly snickering. "This'll teach the old bastard." Hidan thought aloud.

He creeped towards the head of the bed, shaking with excitement. "One, two, THREE!" He shouted as he spilled the entire contents onto the older man's face.

Hidan laughed manically. "Take that, you old shit!" He shouted laughing. Kakukzu growled, before losing some thread from his arm. In the following moments, Hidan's head was separated from his body. "Damnit, bastard! That shit hurts!" He called.

Itachi and Kisame heard the noise and peered into the room. Kakuzu seeing the confused faces of his comrades, pointed to the empty bucket. They nodded and left.

Kisame smiled and laughed. "I'm glad we're not that pissy!" He said, openly laughing. Itachi chuckled. "Indeed." He stated before pulling a small box from his robe. "Care for some pocky?" He asked. The fish-man grinned and took one. "Don't mind if I do." He replied.

The two partners continued walking, slowly leaving the sound of an angry miser and immortal screaming and yelling, and explosions with wooden plinks from a pair of artists from further away.

* * *

 _ **A/N**_

* * *

 _ **Sorry for the long wait, but I'm a college student. Plus, I'm also working on my novel.**_

 _ **And don't worry, the good stuff is coming soon.**_

 _ **The story will really take off at the Chunnin exams. (Also, what's the official way to spell chunnin? I've seen way too many different ways.)**_

 _ **Anyway, did you guys like my omake? If so, should I keep doing them?**_

 _ **Thank you again to everyone who's read this. As well as the few who have followed and favorited "To Fix a World."**_

 _ **Arcami**_

 _ **VarigatedMosaic**_

 _ **Voltrasin**_

 _ **Wede**_

 _ **FuKu01**_

 _ **Annehaglider11**_

 _ **Thank you.**_

 _ **Thank you, everyone, once again!**_

 _ **See you soon!**_


	5. Chapter 5 Teams!

_**Hello, everyone! Sorry that this one has come out after such a long time, but I'm a college student… That and (dating this quite a bit) Monster Hunter World just came out! I am days away from getting carpel tunnel for the third time in my life.**_

 _ **My game is the hardest. (A definite Caddicarus reference)**_

 _ **Anyway, today, teams are shown! And rigged!**_

* * *

 **To Fix a World**

 **Chapter 5**

 **Teams!**

* * *

"All right, guys. Here's the plan." I bounded to the table with a pen and paper in hand. "What we need to do is infiltrate Mabui's desk this morning. Class starts at ten today. Thank the Lord for that. Team placement is a hell of a day! Anyway, we have four hours to make this work, so let's take our time." I continued.

"I say we take an hour to plan." Suzu stated, plopping into a chair to my right.

"Sounds good to me." Ken drawled, sitting to my left.

"Sure, I was only gunna give thirty minutes, but I guess we really shouldn't rush anything." I smiled a bit meekly.

"So, I want you, Suzu to get the logistics of this sorted out. Ken, I need you for materials and traps." The two nodded.

"Now, this is what we're gunna do. Pop in whenever you want to add or change something, all right?" They nodded again, smiles shining bright.

* * *

 **One Hour Later**

* * *

"Ready?" I asked, grabbing my gear. I had a pouch of kunai and senbon, as well as some rope, and a surprisingly skinny senbon.

"Ready!" Suzu called.

"Ready." Ken drawled.

"All right, let's go!" I said. The three of us rushed out the door. The ninja run was simple. A few guards patrolled the town. Thankfully, none of them noticed us, with how dark it still was.

Over the last couple years, a few events were named "The Calamity." An assortment of pranks that, eventually, affected everyone. The perpetrator was never caught. I wonder what people would do if they found out that Ken was the perp?

We reached the school in record time. **'So, we can't wall walk, so… I guess we climb?'** _'Yep.'_

The window seals had small hand holds. We started scaling the wall to our class's window. The windows were all as wide as the classrooms.

I motioned towards Ken. He nodded sharply and pulled a kunai. He lightly pushed it into the closed window on its side. He slowly began to force it open, prying it by pushing the kunai to the side. It slid sideways until it was open enough to let a person through. Before we stepped in, Suzu stopped us.

Suzu was smart enough to recommend making some hand signs for the mission. She pointed to Ken, pointed to the outside of the window, and made the hand sign for 'trap.' He nodded and swung down, hanging on by a hand. He stuck a skinny kunai into the wall with a mass of ninja wire strewn about.

Suzu pointed to Ken again, then pointed to the classroom's door. He nodded again before doing the same thing to the door, with six kunai and enough ninja wire to tie anyone up the moment they step through.

Suzu pointed to me, pointed to the desk, and made the sign for 'unlock.' I nodded and stepped towards it. I pulled a normal, and skinny senbon from from my pouch and got to work on unlocking the top drawer.

The girl moved back to the window and crouched down. She began to look for any approaching shinobi. Once Ken finished, she pointed to him, then the door, and signed 'watch.'

In a minute, I was able to open the drawer.

After pulling some papers out, layering them out by where they were, I found the team roster. I searched it. _'Team Five-Aoi, Roku, and Suzume. Sensei- Gai Matsu, Genjutsu master, Jounin. Team Eight-Mizu, Ryu, and Kenichi. Sensei- Asa Namida. Weapons and taijutsu expert. High Jounin. Team Nine- Kaori, Muzu, and Hanaki. Sensei- Azumichi, No last name. New Jounin, being trained…'_ **'Let's look at the senseis a bit more.'** _'Agreed.'_

 _'Gai Matsu, Jounin, Genjutsu Master. Unmotivated man with no love for the younger generation. Team will most likely fail in the Genin test. Azumichi, No last name, New Jounin. A brand new jounin, promoted eight days ago. Team will most likely fail in a year. Asa Namida, Weapons and Taijutsu Expert, High Jounin. Kind and caring person with a heavy interest in teamwork. Trains like a sadist. Team will most likely succeed.'_ **'I guess the choice for sensei has been made for us.'** _'Yep!'_

After a little revision, the team roster looked much better. _'Team Five-Aoi, Roku, and Muzu. Team Eight- Kenichi, Suzume, and Hanaki. Team Nine-Kaori, Mizu, and Ryu.'_ **'At least Team Nine has a chance of success. I always liked those guys.'** _'I agree. I'm also glad that bastard Aoi is gunna fail!'_ Inner snickered at that.

I got Ken and Suzu's attention and gave the the sign 'success.' They both nodded. Suzu helped me get the papers back in the exact way that I pulled them out while Ken dismantled his traps. As we left through the window again, I lightly tied the rope around a bar connected to the window. I pulled it slowly, closing the window most of the way before pulling hard enough to undo the knot. We managed to close the window the rest of the way.

We ran back home. Unfortunately, we missed a long haired woman spying on us from around a corner. She smiled excitedly and left.

We made it to Suzu's place without making a noise. The moment we got inside, that silence broke like a rock through glass. We instantly began shouting excitedly.

"We did it!" I yelled.

"Yeeeeeees! Hahahahahahaha!" Suzu laughed manically.

"Woooooohooooo!" Ken shouted.

We plopped onto a tan couch Suzu had in her living room.

I sighed contentedly. "Well, we have about an hour and a half before class… Anyone want breakfast?"

* * *

 **Later**

* * *

After a celebratory, far too sweet, breakfast, we prepared ourselves to return to class.

After each of us showered, we began ninja jumping our way back to class. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm excited." I said as we busted through the waterfall. I felt something.

 _'Do you feel that?'_ **'Yeah, I do.'**

I could feel a pair of eyes on me. Watching me, judging me… Studying me.

"Naki?" Suzu asked in concern. She broke me from my thoughts. "Sorry, I'm fine." I said. "Do you feel like someone's watching us?" I questioned. Ken and Suzu gave me a glance and grinned.

"Feeling a bit paranoid?" The girl asked mischievously.

Ken chuckled a bit.

"Maybe I am…" I really couldn't convince myself that I was though. "Just in case, keep your eyes open. Please." I continued pleadingly. My friends looked shocked. I guess they weren't expecting a question like that. **'Probably thought they made us feel better.'**

"Yeah, I will." Ken replied.

"No worries, Naki. Nothing will get past me!" Suzu called confidently.

I gave them both thankful smiles.

Around the school were excited, almost, genin. Many of them pushed their way into the building while the rest meandered in. We reached our class a few minutes early, and sat in our normal seats.

The class was a storm of noise as excited "genin" cheered and bragged. Mabui walked into the room at exactly ten, and stood directly in the center of the lecture's stand. We watched him for a minute to see if he knew what we did earlier. He barely gave us a look.

Just like always.

Whatever tense energy we had when we entered the classroom suddenly disappeared with a breath.

"Okay brats, shut up and sit down!" He yelled. The class instantly complied.

"Thank you." He said. He gave all of us a proud smile.

"Congratulations. I am proud to call you all my students. I'm excited to see what all of you will do… That said, I'll now be announcing your teams." He said, pulling out a very recognizable sheet of paper.

 _'It's funny. Fanfics always say "I drowned out what the teacher said until it reached my team.'_ **'That's just lazy writing.'** … _'Still gunna do it though!'_ **'Lazy bastard!'** I could feel Inner's mirth.

I drowned out the names until it reached mine. **'Lazy bastard.'**

"Team Eight will consist of Suzume Mizutori, Hanaki Sora, and Kenichi Utataka. Your sensei will be Asa Nomida." Mabui drawled. Even he was getting bored.

My friends and I grinned manically.

We had ten teams this year. _'Thank you Lord this is all there is. I wanna get out of here.'_

"All right. Your senseis should be here at about eleven. Just enough time for you brats to have a thirty minute lunch. Again, congratulations." Mabui congratulated. He smiled warmly at all of us before leaving the room.

"I _can't_ believe that worked!" I whispered excitably.

"I can. I was in charge! Though, I wish we could've made your survival skills more useful in that mission."

"Well, we didn't exactly go into the wilderness." I said. "Anyway… Did you guys remember lunch?"

We looked at eachother.

"Nope!" Suzu cheered.

"Sorry." Ken drawled.

"Then… Wanna grab some noodles?"

"Yep!"

"Sure."

After agreeing, we promptly left the room and ninja ran to our favorite noodle shop. _'I love the name by the way. "Taki no Men Tengoku."'_ **'Waterfall's Noodle Heaven… Naruto would** _ **love**_ **this place.'**

Thankfully "Mengoku" (Everyone shortens the name to Mengoku) does takeout. We returned to the school within fifteen minutes.

Ken and I had takoyaki again, while Suzu had more ramen.

"How much ramen have you had this week?" I asked.

She subbed her chin. _'She actually has to think about it…'_ **'Naruto's gunna have a new best friend!'**

"Meh, about ten cups?" She replied easily.

Ken sighed. "Suzu… That's not healthy. At all."

She huffed. "So? It's delicious! Besides, I made up for the calorie intake." She claimed proudly.

Before anyone could comment, someone entered the room. "Team Ten, follow me." A tall man said, and left the room. A few of our classmates scrambled to follow.

"I guess we should eat before our sensei gets here." Ken drawled.

Suzu and I nodded while the three of us dug into our food.

A few more teams were grabbed until a very tall woman walked through the door. "Team Eight, would you meet me on the roof?" She asked kindly.

We grinned at each other while we pack up the remainder of our food. The woman walked out of the room and shunshined away. We ran out of the room and climbed a few stairs until we came to a door. We walked out onto the roof after Ken opened it for us.

Sitting on the edge of the roof, facing us, was our sensei. She was strikingly tall. She might be the same height as Kakashi or Jiraya. Her hair was incredibly long and wavy, reaching her hips in a light, almost blonde, brown. She had easily sun-stained skin that contrasted with her light outfit.

"Hello, I'm Asa. I'd like to start off with introductions." The woman said with a small smile as she motioned to a long outcropping on the roof. We sat down as she resumed talking.

"I'll start first. I'm Asa Nomida. My hobbies include black-smithing, forging, and reading. I like sushi and meats, while I dislike a few members of this village. My dream for the future is to give a good home to a good friend." She smiled kindly as she pointed to Suzu at my left.

"I'm Suzume Mizutori! I guess my hobby would be hanging out with my friends? I like ramen! I don't like pompous pricks." She called cheerily. She gained a meek look in her eye and peered at the ground. "My dream for the future is to start a family." She said. Asa gave her a big smile, and nodded gratefully. Suzu grinned happily. Ken and I tapped her shoulder with a fist. She pushed us teasingly.

Asa-sensei gave us a carefree smile. She gestured to me in the middle.

"I'm Hanaki Sora. My hobby would be reading, but I'm interested in forging and gardening. I like the color purple and cooking. I don't like certain quixotic bastards… I also don't like being alone. I have two dreams. The first is to get married and be father. My second is to change this world." I stated confidently.

Asa gave me a pleased look as she nodded. She motioned to the last of our group to my right.

"I'm Kenichi Utataka. My hobbies are pranking and relaxing with friends. I like my friends and family, I guess. I don't like my clan's elders. My dream is to change my clan for the better."

"I'm glad to meet you all! Now, I think we should talk about our first training session together. A survival training!" She said cheerfully. "Meet me at training ground twenty-three at seven tomorrow morning, all right?"

"Sure!" I replied gleefully. _'This'll be fun.'_ **'hee hee!'** Inner snickered joyously.

"Yes, ma'am." Ken responded.

"Gotcha!" Suzu shouted.

She gave us a kind smile before she shunshined away.

"Welp… you guys wanna hang out?" I asked.

"Yep. Can we go to my place this time?" Ken replied.

"I'm fine with that. Suzu?"

"Hell yes! Let's go!" She shouted.

We left merrily. Though, Ken put a few unnoticeable wire traps at the school's entrance.

Halfway to Ken's house, we heard some creature's screaming roar. **"DAMN YOOOOOOOUUUUUUU!"**

"… Was that Mabui?" I asked.

"Yep." Ken replied. _'Is he smirking?'_

"Was that your trap?"

"Yep." He looked far too satisfied.

"I shouldn't mention this to anyone."

"It would be appreciated."

Suzu cackled as Ken and I smirked.

* * *

 **Later That Night**

* * *

As we entered the door to Ken's home, a sudden flash of color rushed for us. In a moment, Kenko had Ken in a death hug. "Hey, bro! Guess who's home!"

"Hey, sis… ow…" Ken's body was in a strange position. When the blur came for him, he attempted to halt it by holding out one arm, while grabbing a weapon with his other hand. That equated to his left arm being trapped by Kenko's hug, while his right was squished against his sister, elbow close to him, and his hand being bent back in a very… uncomfortable way. He did manage to move his arm to her back somehow.

' **How is his hand not broken?'** _'I don't know… nor do I want to know.'_

"What's wrong?" She asked, looking at her brother. "Oh. That." She quickly ended her hug and grabbed Ken's wrist, massaging it.

"Thankfully for you, I'm staying here tonight! I believe a 'Thank you so much my dear, dear elder sister! Your presence humbles me!' Or something, right?" She asked haughtily. She began laughing.

"Thank you for your presence my oh-so-great elder sister." Ken drawled.

Kenko's eyes widened dramatically. "You actually said it!" She shouted joyously before crushing Ken in another hug.

The boy sighed and returned the hug. "Love you too, sis." **'I wish I had a sister… I can feel the affection from here…"** Inner whined. I couldn't stop a small chuckle.

' _Is that a sealing tag?'_ A small tag was stuck to Kenko's back. "Uh…"

Ken quickly shushed me. I obediently shut my mouth. As ken was returning the hug, he pushed a small amount of chakra into the tag. Suddenly, confetti flew from Kenko's back.

"What!?" She called. She released Ken and turned to see the confetti. She looked back to Ken as he raised his arms.

"Waaaaaayyyy!" He shouted in an excited drawl.

Suzu and I shrugged. We walked beside ken and raised our hands.

"Waaaaaaayyy!" We shouted excitedly.

"Congratulations on your promotion to a tokubetsu jounin!" Ken called.

Ai and Kenso walked into the entrance way. "Kenko! We finished dinner. Hanaki, Suzume. Please join us." Ai said. Kenko stood shocked. _'Has she breathed yet?'_ **'I hope so…'**

Kenko grinned and grabbed the three of us in a hug. After our shock ended, we returned the hug. Ai and Kenso joined in soon enough. "Thank you. Everyone." The girl said lovingly.

The four of us left for the living room as Ai and Kenso returned to the kitchen. Soon after we sat, Ken's parents entered the room with three sets of food each. "I was going to ask Ken to grab the two of you, but thankfully, I don't have to." Ai said sweetly.

"I hope you all enjoy some beef teriyaki bowls." Kenso drawled genially.

We nodded. As soon as the food was set in front of us, we began eating. "At least say 'thank you for the food.' Right, Ai?" Kenso asked. Sitting beside an empty sitting pillow was Ai. Slamming food down like it was the only thing she'd eaten in years. The man sighed before sitting next to his wife with a loving smile. He clapped once quickly and began eating.

"That tasted amazing!" I called, happily stuffed.

"Right!? I could eat that til' I die!" Suzu agreed.

Ken and Kenko nodded sagely.

"Well, thank you. I'm quite proud of my beef." Ai said appreciatively.

"And I, my teriyaki." Kenso replied.

We laughed a little at that. "Here, Kenko." Ai gave her daughter a skinny, wrapped package about two feet long.

"Mom! Ya didn't have to." She called excitedly. Ai smiled delightedly.

Inside the wrapping was a sealed case, locked with a key-lock. She gave her mother a curious look before her father gave her a small key. She grinned to her parents as she unlocked the case. Inside the case was a pair of beautifully forged daggers. _'I think they're dual kodachi.'_ **'Weeb.'** Inner said teasingly. _'What does that make you? The inner voice of a schizophrenic weeaboo? Which one do you think is worse?'_ I goaded good naturedly. **'… Fair enough.'**

The kodachi were small. The blades were only a foot long, without a curve. They carried no tsuba, and resembled small chokuto. Their hilt and scabbards were dark green, with a carrying bubble design throughout the outer set of the piece. The blades were darkened to a close black, and layered to reflect as little light as possible. Small, single string tassels hung from the back of the hilts. They were colored a dark grey with a single taki-teal bead at the end.

Kenko began tearing up. "Mom… Dad… Thank you!" She called. She set the case down and jumped over the table to hug her parents. They returned the embrace happily. Ken looked on with a blinding smile. Suzu leaned close to him. "Aren't you going to join them?" She whispered. He looked on for a few moments more before nodding and joining the family hug.

The embrace ended a few moments later. "Well, congratulations to you as well, you're all genin now." Ai told us. "And, please. Do have fun tomorrow for your first 'mission.'" She continued. She, Kenko, and Kenso all giggled a little too maliciously for my liking.

Ken and suzu glanced at each other before giving the family confused looks. I couldn't help but grin. _**'This will be sooooo much fun!'**_ Both inner and I cackled.

Ai looked to Suzu and I suddenly with a light look. "Would you two like to stay the night?" The woman asked.

Suzu and I gave a thoughtful glance.

The woman sighed. "All right, I'll rephrase that. You two _are_ staying the night. Okay?" She told us.

"Kaaaay'." Suzu called lazily.

"Sure." I replied.

Ai nodded, pleased. She stood and walked to a small closet and began pulling out a couple futons. Suzu and I jumped up to help her.

The six of us spent the rest of the night talking and chatting. A few stories were shared by Kenko, Kenso, and the most interesting from Ai. Soon, Ken's parents decided to leave for bed, leaving the four of us alone. Before they left, however, Kenko grabbed my shoulder.

"I never got an answer from you last time. Where did that scar come from?" She asked. "Do I have to beat a bitch down for ya?" She continued, proudly showing a sadistic smile.

' _ **Why did she have to ask?'**_ Inner and I thought.

"No… You're a little late. One is a missing nin… The other is dead." I replied solemnly.

She starred at me for a while before she embraced me. I could feel two other pair of arms wrap around me.

"I'm sorry." Kenko consoled me lightly. They hugged me tightly, as though they were the only things keeping me from breaking. I don't know how I feel about that. "I meant it as a joke, but if you give me a name, I'll hunt him down." The woman continued angrily.

From the arms holding me, I could hear Ken and suzu agreeing determinedly. A hand rested on my shoulder. I looked to see the loving, kind, and, normally, sweet face of Ai, mutated into a frozen, furious snarl. "No one attacks my kids." She seethed out her words from clenched teeth.

"I'll slaughter him." She continued slowly, dripping malice as the words left her anger thinned lips.

' **I-I-I… How could they think this highly of us? We've only known them for a few months.'** _'Am I worth this… Naki, you are worth this. I know you are. But me? Dan?'_ I've always had issues with myself. I felt loved by my impromtue family back home, but after my original parents died, I always blamed myself. 'If I had more money, mom wouldn't have died. If I had a job, dad wouldn't over work himself. If I told her how important she was, my sister might have stayed away from that crowd. She might not have left.' It seems that Inner dealt with these problems himself.

Kenso watched on. He seemed to see my turmoil. He stepped towards me and placed a hand on my shoulder. He leant down next to my ear and whispered as low as he could. "You are worth it. You are worth our love. You are worth life. You deserve a loving family. My family and your friends… We'll all give that to you." Not a single person heard him.

Except Hanaki and Dan. Except for Inner and Outer. Except for Me and me. Inner and I.

Slowly. Tears formed in my eyes. These small pools of liquid dropped in a single line. Those single drops turned to two. Two to four. Four to eight. I couldn't hold it in. I grabbed as many of these caring, amazing people.

And bawled.

I grieved for my old life.

I sobbed for my new one.

Inner's emotions flowed into me. Making them more intense.

By the end of the night, my eyes were red and painful. My face damp and flushed. My hair tousled strangely. And both Inner and I with light, relieved, and happy hearts and souls.

' _ **I love these people.'**_

* * *

 **A/N**

* * *

 _ **Hello, all. Thank you for reading.**_

 _ **Next chapter will be the true genin exam**_

 _ **Finally, there will be a fight scene!**_

 _ **I hope you all will enjoy it.**_

* * *

 **Omake**

* * *

I woke up, late in the night, laying in my futon.

I looked to see another futon a small distance away, completely empty. _'Isn't that Suzu's?'_

I stood to find a small door cracked open. Through it was Suzu sitting on a rail over a balcony.

"Couldn't sleep either?" I asked. She seemed surprised.

"Nope. Too excited for tomorrow. You?" She replied curiously.

I stepped next to her and vaulted over the rail, and stopped on top of it in a sitting position.

"Just got a lot on my mind."

' _Right. He told us about all that scar stuff. He must be suffering. I should-.'_ The girl's thoughts were stopped cold by my words.

"Do you think the Akatsuki remember their old teams?" I asked.

"… What?"


End file.
